Namgung Heavenly Demon - Chapter 2

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 2

Namgung Cheon concentrated his consciousness and began to carefully examine his new body.

He swept through every layer of skin, every strand of muscle, every joint of bone.

‘The skeletal structure isn’t bad. It looks frail, but the foundation is solid.’

But that was as far as it went.

As if it had never been properly trained, the flow of qi and blood was weak, and he could barely feel anything that could be called internal energy.

‘But… what is this sensation?’

There was an unusual resonance felt from deep within the body that couldn’t be dismissed as simply lack of training.

The organic connection between bones and muscles, the instinctive sense of balance for grasping the center of gravity.

‘Despite the lack of training, to have this level of martial talent…’

He immediately delved into his memories.

Very briefly, the exceptional brilliance young Namgung Cheon had shown when he first held a sword.

The moments when he directly followed his master’s teachings and grasped the principles of the sword much faster than others.

‘This isn’t simple martial talent.’

A faint smile appeared on Cheonma’s lips.

‘It’s the Hundred Weapons Body. A body that can instinctively master the principles of all weapons and draw out their power.’

It couldn’t compare to the Heavenly Martial Body, called a talent bestowed by heaven, but it was a sufficiently good body with a different domain.

If the Heavenly Martial Body had the ‘depth’ to achieve overwhelming accomplishments in specific fields, this Hundred Weapons Body had the potential to encompass the ‘breadth’ of all martial arts.

‘To have such talent yet hide his light and live concealed within the shell of ordinariness.’

Cheonma clicked his tongue.

Perhaps the narrow-mindedness of the Namgung Clan, a prestigious sword family, failed to recognize this talent, or their rigid belief in focusing on one thing suppressed that possibility.

Maybe Namgung Cheon himself couldn’t handle the upheaval this talent would bring and turned away from it.

But now it was different.

The new owner of this body was Cheonma, who had once stood at the pinnacle of the demonic path.

‘I’ve obtained this tremendous talent called the Hundred Weapons Body, but for now, it’s just a pie in the sky.’

His gaze slowly swept through the interior of Mangumsong once more.

What appeared to be hundreds of swords were each emanating different auras.

An ordinary martial artist would have lost consciousness, unable to withstand the oppressive weight of the sharp sword qi filling this place.

Even if he could vaguely sense the characteristics or value of each sword through the special resonance of the Hundred Weapons Body, his physical body wasn’t prepared to handle and claim them as his own.

‘Though my soul may be Cheonma, this body of Namgung Cheon is truly pathetic.’

He coldly assessed reality.

In his current state, let alone properly examining Mangumsong, one wrong move could result in being crushed by the sword qi lingering here, wastefully throwing away even his hard-won second life.

No matter how much of the world’s finest feast was spread before his eyes, what use was it if the vessel to contain it was broken?

To the unprepared, opportunity was sometimes no different from disaster.

‘First, I need to make this body useful. For that… I’ll need to work on the mental cultivation method first.’

Recovering his lost power, and establishing a solid foundation to fully draw out the potential of the Hundred Weapons Body that this new flesh possessed.

That was what needed to be done first.

But he immediately encountered a problem.

‘What mental cultivation method should I use…’

The demonic path mental cultivation methods he had learned in his previous life were all destructive and intensely powerful.

‘Moreover, they would scatter demonic qi… that won’t do.’

There was only one remaining option.

He had no choice but to use the Namgung Clan’s mental cultivation method that the original Namgung Cheon had been learning.

He once again recalled the only internal energy cultivation method from Namgung Cheon’s memories.

The Azure Sky Great Evolution Mental Method.

A mental cultivation method that anyone of Namgung bloodline would learn.

It was the internal energy cultivation method that could be called both the foundation and entirety of Namgung martial arts.

Considering the mental method alone, it could compete for the top position in the world, but it wasn’t a method that could be quickly mastered.

The Namgung Clan was an orthodox sect that prioritized honesty and steadfastness above all.

Orthodox martial learning wasn’t like demonic martial learning that forcibly drew up power, so it required long periods to elevate one’s realm.

‘…That aspect is somewhat displeasing.’

Namgung Cheon left Mangumsong and sat in meditation in a somewhat spacious area.

‘I’ll need to make some modifications.’

The advantages of demonic martial learning: rapid achievement and explosive power.

And couldn’t he mix in the advantages of Namgung martial learning, which was slow to mature: inclusiveness and stability?

Of course, he couldn’t reveal the characteristics of demonic martial learning too overtly.

‘That would invite suspicion.’

He needed to modify it moderately, just enough that no one would suspect.

Namgung Cheon slowly closed his eyes.

With deep breathing, his consciousness sank deep into his dantian.

Immediately, the first verse of the Azure Sky Great Evolution Mental Method came to mind.

“Heaven and I are equal, all things and I are one.”

Heaven and I are one, and all things are no different from me.

The family interpreted this as harmony with all things in heaven and earth.

Ultimately, it meant everything would blend and mix together.

‘They’re telling me to wait until then.’

But Namgung Cheon couldn’t do that.

‘I will stand shoulder to shoulder with heaven.’

The energy in his dantian began to slowly pulsate.

At first it was a small wave, but as if it had found a clear goal, it rapidly grew and surged up through his blood vessels.

The internal energy that heated up along his spine soon enveloped his entire body.

As he exhaled a short breath, the next verse naturally followed.

“Riding the righteousness of heaven and earth, mastering the changes of the six energies, to roam in infinity.”

It meant riding the upright energy of heaven and earth and skillfully governing the changes of energy to reach a realm of infinite freedom.

It was the central axis of mental cultivation method operation.

But within him, this too was being strongly denied.

‘Following the flow is ultimately nothing more than riding along.’

Instead, Namgung Cheon envisioned himself using heaven and earth’s great flow as his foothold and seizing control of energy’s violent changes.

His body was already responding.

The gentle and mild energy that had been gathered in his dantian gradually became fierce.

Swirling like a storm, it rapidly circulated through his blood vessels before finally transforming into a condensed form.

“Kuk…”

His body trembled from the sudden change.

Pain continuously arose from his dantian, but he didn’t mind.

His lips moved slightly.

‘The final verse.’

Responding without sound, achieving without form.

It was the natural order of nature and the ultimate realm.

But Namgung Cheon unhesitatingly changed that passage.

“Responding to my voice, achieving through my form.”

When I cry out, the world responds,

When I act, all things move following me.

His declaration that rejected waiting and compliance.

He wouldn’t wait for the world to react.

He would cry out directly and mold the world with his own form.

That was the moment.

Intense heat surged up from within his body.

The internal energy that blazed like flames from deep in his dantian immediately spread in all directions through his blood vessels.

The inner energy that blazed like flames from deep within his dantian immediately spread in all directions through his blood vessels.

Each blood vessel tensed tautly, compressing his energy with tremendous force.

Namgung Cheon’s aura had now completely transformed.

The muscles and blood vessels throughout his body vibrated as they adapted to the newly changed energy.

Fine steam rose from his slowly heating skin.

His breathing deepened considerably.

There was no longer any compliance with following the flow.

Now he would become the center of that flow himself.

Namgung Cheon once again drew in a long, deep breath.

The path he must take was now clear.

‘My will shall become principle, and my actions shall become the law of heaven and earth.’

For that was the path of Cheonma.

* * *

The energy gained from transforming his mental cultivation method was astounding.

Internal power incomparable to before had firmly settled in his dantian, and the blood vessels throughout his body surged with vitality like parched earth receiving sweet rain after a long drought.

Most importantly, the oppressive feeling from the murderous sword energy that had filled Mangumsong had become considerably lighter—this was the greatest gain.

‘This should be sufficient preparation, at the very least.’

He slowly rose from his position and stood once again at the entrance to Mangumsong.

Now it was time to truly face what was hidden in this graveyard of swords, Mangumsong.

Even Namgung Cheon’s memories contained no information about what swords were in Mangumsong.

‘At least the swords in the depths like Mangumsong should be superior to those in other parts of Geomhongdong.’

His gaze began to slowly sweep through the interior of Mangumsong.

The interior of Mangumsong was better organized than expected.

Each sword was placed on its own pedestal, with a small nameplate in front briefly recording the sword’s name and the former position of its deceased owner.

‘They maintain it quite well. Of course, it would be the very history of the Namgungs.’

Having finished his observation, Namgung Cheon stepped deeper inside.

Soon, his footsteps, which had been casually surveying the swords, suddenly hesitated.

One particular sword had caught his attention.

Even though it was sheathed, the tremendous energy contained within was leaking out.

‘…Remarkable.’

The nameplate read ‘Changcheon — Thirteenth Family Head Namgung Cheong.’

‘Namgung Cheong.’

The family head from two generations ago, a figure who had risen to the position of the foremost master of the orthodox faction.

Seuling—.

The sword smoothly emerged from its sheath.

‘Indeed, this is a peerless famous sword.’

Namgung Cheon instantly grasped the energy contained in the sword and its center of balance.

Strong and upright power.

It was a sword that anyone who had learned the Namgung Clan’s swordsmanship would covet.

‘However, it’s too orthodox for me to consider as my first priority right now.’

He returned the sword to its place and moved on.

The next sword he encountered was unusual from its very sheath.

The sheath made of ebony had the bizarre form of a serpent carved in intaglio.

—Sahon , Blood Demon Sect Leader, seized by Namgung Ak.

‘Hmm, the Blood Demon Sect Leader. A fellow who once made quite a name for himself in the unorthodox faction. The murderous intent and yin energy contained in the sword are considerable, but it’s not to my taste. It’s full of nothing but petty tricks.’

Namgung Cheon turned away without regret.

Whether they were famous swords of the Namgung Clan or swords of the unorthodox faction that had been defeated in the past, nothing appeared that captured his heart.

He continued inward, toward even deeper places.

Swords beloved by successive family heads of the Namgung Clan, swords used by prodigies who had mastered specific techniques.

There were even swords received with proper courtesy in exchanges with other sects.

These were famous swords that would have dominated an entire generation, yet his footsteps did not stop.

‘This much is insufficient. Most importantly, they don’t suit me.’

It was when his steps entered the deepest section of Mangumsong.

A suffocating energy, clearly different from before, pressed down on his entire body.

And the scene that unfolded before his eyes was difficult to understand even with his experience.

‘…How strange.’

Dozens of swords placed around the area were uniformly corroded black or rusted and broken in the middle.

‘Are they absorbing all the energy from the other swords…?’

He carefully passed through those corroded swords and finally reached what appeared to be the source of all the energy.

Soon, an amazing sight entered Namgung Cheon’s vision.

A circular space located in the deepest part of Mangumsong.

In its center, thick iron chains descending from the cave ceiling had wrapped around and suspended a single sword in midair.

A jet-black sheath deeper than darkness.

And below it, on a rock shaped like an altar, a single character carved in red.

.

The moment he saw that character, a faint smile appeared on Namgung Cheon’s lips.

He immediately understood why Namgung Mugang had placed this sword like this.

‘Did you acknowledge it? The value of this sword, and my value.’

It had not been left on a pedestal like the other swords.

It had been specially sealed so that no one could touch it, so that it would not fall into anyone’s hands until a master worthy of this sword appeared.

It was both courtesy toward a worthy opponent and respect for a promise.

“That stubbornness of yours remains unchanged, Namgung Mugang.”

Namgung Cheon quietly murmured his old rival’s name.

A calm yet deep emotion, as if facing an old friend met after a long time.

“I have come to keep our promise.”

He reached out his hand toward the token of their promise.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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